Eine Allianz, die man vielleicht nie erwartet hätte: Nach Myranor geht mit Melliador – Aventurien die Reise von Das Schwarze Auge mit den Regeln von D&D 5E weiter. Ermöglicht wird das durch die ELF, die „Extended License for Friends“. Der Uhrwerk Verlag hat ein umfangreiches Crowdfunding gestartet.
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Die SPIEL Essen erreicht in diesem Jahr einen historischen Meilenstein. Erstmals in der über 40-jährigen Geschichte der weltgrößten Publikumsmesse für Gesellschaftsspiele werden alle acht Hallen des Essener Messegeländes belegt. Die Gesamtfläche wächst damit auf 81.200 Quadratmeter.
Mit der Öffnung von Halle 8 kommen rund 3.700 Quadratmeter zusätzliche Ausstellungsfläche hinzu. Bereits im vergangenen Jahr war Halle 7 neu dazugekommen. Damit steht der vierte Flächenrekord in Folge an.
Der ausrichtende Merz Verlag verzeichnet schon acht Wochen vor Ende des Anmeldezeitraums eine außergewöhnlich hohe Zahl an Anmeldungen. Das Wachstum wird von zwei Seiten getrieben. Einerseits möchten viele langjährige Aussteller ihre Standflächen vergrößern, um ihre wachsenden Portfolios den gut 220.000 internationalen Besuchern zu präsentieren. Andererseits drängt eine ungewöhnlich hohe Zahl neuer Aussteller auf die Messe, die dort erstmals ihr Spiel vorstellen wollen.
Geschäftsführerin Carol Rapp sieht darin ein Zeichen für die internationale Bedeutung der Messe und die Vitalität der gesamten Spielebranche. Die bisherige Hallenstruktur bleibt dabei weitgehend erhalten. Das Messeteam optimiert an bestimmten Stellen, um sowohl den Flächenwünschen großer Verlage als auch dem Zuwachs kleinerer Stände gerecht zu werden. Die Aufteilung in klare Kategorien und der gewohnte Mix aus großen Verlagen und kleinen Entwicklern bleiben bestehen.
Da Halle 8 bisher als Wartebereich diente, erfordert die Umwandlung in eine Ausstellungsfläche Anpassungen bei der Besucherführung. Erstmals wird der Nordeingang geöffnet, der direkt in Halle 5 führt und hinter der Grugahalle liegt. Dieser zusätzliche Zugang soll die bestehenden Eingänge Ost, West und Süd entlasten und den Besucherstrom gezielter in die Hallen 4 und 5 leiten.
Als Ersatz für den bisherigen Wartebereich wird Halle 1A eingerichtet, die über das Congress Center Süd zugänglich ist. Dort können Messebesucher auch bei schlechtem Wetter geschützt warten, bis die Tore morgens öffnen.
Die SPIEL Essen bringt jedes Jahr über 220.000 Spielefans aus der ganzen Welt mit Ausstellern aus über 50 Nationen zusammen. Tausende Neuerscheinungen können direkt vor Ort an den Ständen getestet werden. Mit der Vollbelegung des Geländes stößt die Messe nun an die maximale Kapazitätsgrenze des Standorts.
The world’s largest board game fair, Spiel Essen, says it has reached the limits of its expansion at its long-time home after boosting floor space again this year due to “overwhelming interest” from exhibitors.
Organiser Merz Verlag said it has expanded this year’s exhibition space to fill all eight main halls at Messe Essen, covering an area of 81,200 sq m – larger than 15 American football fields.
That expansion makes the massive game fair more than 50% larger than the exhibition space at US board game convention Gen Con – although its North American peer also boasts a vast, separate expanse of gaming tables, tournaments and live events that Spiel Essen does not.
Soaring interest in the show has now seen Spiel Essen boost its floor space four times in as many years, with this year’s event in October set to be about 30% larger than the already massive 62,500 sq m show which took place in 2023.
Merz Verlag said it had already received an “exceptionally high” number of registrations from exhibitors for the 2026 event, with eight weeks of the sign-up period still to go.
It added that demand had come both from long-term exhibitors keen to “significantly increase” their booth space, as well as an “impressive number” of first-time exhibitors hoping to attend this year.
A statement from the company said, “While the fair traditionally hosts many new small booths introducing their first games, the number of new exhibitors is particularly high this year.”
Spiel Essen’s expansion into a seventh hall last year helped the four-day show to a record 220,000 attendance, outstripping the 209,000 visitor record it set just before the Covid-19 pandemic.
The show might have broken its attendance record in 2024 were it not for a self-imposed visitor cap, which limited the number of attendees each day to about 50,000 – a measure introduced alongside wider aisles post-pandemic to help visitors move around the often crowded halls more easily.
Carol Rapp, the Merz Verlag managing director responsible for Spiel Essen since 2023, said, “The fact that we can already plan the opening of a new hall and the full occupancy of the grounds is fantastic – it’s a sign of both the international importance of our fair and the vitality of the gaming industry.
“Spiel and the industry are growing, and we are creating the necessary space for this development.”
Rapp told BoardGameWire ahead of last year’s show in October that one of the most asked questions of her was whether Spiel Essen would look to expand into Hall 8, which was utilised as an empty area for people to queue while waiting for the show floor to open.
She told BoardGameWire at the time, “If I could, I want to stay having seven halls for at least two more years. But I was also saying that last year [2024] about the six halls, and then we had so many applications that were telling us ‘We want to grow. We are new, we want to be part of that’… ‘OK. But if we do that, we need to open another hall’.
“So who are we to decide for the market, if they want to grow, that we don’t do that – as long as we have the space for that? We want to make the best Spiel possible for everybody, so of course, if we are facing another year with so many applications, so many square metres booked that we should open another hall, we will think about it. But my personal wish is not to do it next year [2026].”
Merz Verlag says it now plans to use the underground Hall 1A for attendees waiting for the show to open each day.
That space was also considered as a potential expansion space for exhibitors, Rapp told BoardGameWire after last year’s show, saying there could be scope to expand its RPG and artists areas into the space.
She said at the time, “It feels a little bit like a dungeon, but a dungeon is quite a cool place for RPGs. So maybe that could be a good idea. That area is growing again, and it was growing from last year to this year [2025].”
But Spiel Essen replied to a Facebook comment this morning to say that it had ruled that out, saying, “We received feedback and realised that Hall 1A was not attractive as an exhibition hall for publishers and visitors. For this reason – and because a waiting hall is a nice thing to have – we removed Hall 1A from the plans.”
Update March 5, 2026: A Merz Verlag spokesperson told BoardGameWire, “There are various reasons that this hall is not suitable for exhibition space: It is lower than other halls and thus booth construction would be more complicated to plan, also hanging banners that give a lot of awareness are not possible there.
“The hall is not part of the overall hall structure, with entrances only in foyer south – apart from not easily usable entrance via stairways – which makes it a sort of cul-de-sac, impeding the flow of regular visitors.
“That is why this hall is not an option for regular exhibition halls and we might only think of it for special usage, logistics, and as waiting hall.”
Spiel Essen previously implemented a shake-up of how its halls were organised three years ago, in an attempt to make it easier for visitors to navigate an event which Rapp said at the time had become “a little bit of a mess” after 40 years of growth.
That split the fair into separate segments for children’s, family and light-to-medium games, expert games, tabletop and miniature games, roleplaying games and trading card games, with a mix of small, medium and large booths in each zone – a decision which was initially criticised by some publishers, but seems to have ultimately gone down well.
Merz Verlag said the latest expansion would also necessitates “adjustments to the existing hall structure, which the fair team is currently working on at full speed”.
It said, “The team will not overhaul the general hall logic but will optimize certain areas to accommodate the growth wishes of large exhibitors as well as the increase in new, small booths.
“Despite some shifts in sections, the halls will remain divided into clear categories, and the familiar mix of major publishers and small developers will be maintained. The goal is to provide visitors with clear orientation and a first-class fair experience despite the increased size.”
As part of those changes, Spiel Essen will open its north entrance for the first time this year, which leads directly into Hall 5.
Rapp said, “For us, growth also means responsibility. We are working closely with the venue to ensure the experience remains positive for every fan.
“The experience of recent years shows that our planning has led to good visitor flow in the halls and that many routes at the fair have improved overall.
“I am absolutely confident that with the new measures, we will create an even better entry situation, allowing all visitors to enjoy Spiel in a relaxed atmosphere.”
Spiel’s fourth floor space expansion in as many years raises the question of how Merz Verlag will expand the fair further at Messe Essen, its home for the last 40 years, if interest from exhibitors continues to grow.
BoardGameWire has contacted the organiser to ask if other locations are being considered for the event, and will update this article if it receives a reply.
Update March 5, 2026: A Merz Verlag spokesperson told BoardGameWire, “We love Essen – as a venue and the city – and have no intention of leaving. For the foreseeable future SPIEL will remain in Essen as it has for more than 40 years now.”
The post Spiel Essen expands again to ‘max out’ venue space, now bigger than 15 American football fields first appeared on .
Rekordkurs: Die SPIEL Essen wächst erstmals über alle Hallen Die SPIEL Essen setzt ihren Wachstumskurs fort und erreicht in diesem Jahr einen neuen Meilenstein. Erstmals wird die weltweit größte Publikumsmesse für Brettspiele alle acht Hallen des Essener Messegeländes belegen. Damit ist die maximale Kapazität erreicht. Durch die zusätzliche Halle wächst die Gesamtfläche der Messe auf 81.200 Quadratmeter. Allein die […]
Einmal im Jahr veröffentlicht Jamey Stegmaier einen Bericht, der in der Brettspielbranche ziemlich einzigartig ist. Der Gründer von Stonemaier Games legt darin offen, wie es wirtschaftlich um seinen Verlag steht, welche Projekte im vergangenen Jahr umgesetzt wurden und wohin die Reise gehen soll. Der sogenannte Stakeholder Report richtet sich nicht nur an Investoren oder Geschäftspartner. Stegmaier versteht darunter alle Menschen, die […]
Universal Distribution has agreed exclusive rights to distribute Stonemaier Games titles into US hobby retail, which amounts to about $1.5m of business each year.
Universal has become an authorised US hobby distributor for Stonemaier’s games, which include the massive-selling Wingspan series and other popular titles such as Scythe, and will take on sole distribution rights in August of this year.
The deal comes four years after Stonemaier picked GTS as its sole US hobby retailer distributor, in addition to retailers being able to buy directly from the publisher itself – something Stonemaier COO Alex Schmidt told BoardGameWire about half of its US hobby retailers choose to do.
He added that the $1.5m figure depended on the year and the company’s releases, saying that Stonemaier’s US business was “quite a bit larger than that” when also including the publisher’s website, selling direct to retailers, selling through Fulfillment By Amazon and the publisher’s US mass market distribution.
Universal, a long-time major player in Canadian board game, TCG and comics distribution, made a push south of the border last May through a takeover of US peer Alliance Game Distributors, following a tumultuous bankruptcy auction of the latter’s former owner Diamond Comics.
That acquisition has been followed by a recent flurry of exclusive US distribution deals from Universal, including tie-ups with Dice Throne and Isle of Cats publisher City of Games.
Schmidt told BoardGameWire, “There are certainly some synergies to be had with Universal. They’d already been our sole hobby distributor in Canada and have done a great job of that which made it an obvious choice to use them in the US as well. Them being one company across both countries allows programs to be implemented once in both regions.
“Universal is also supporting a lot of product lines from other companies that retailers want in their stores. While it’s not directly about our products, we want our distributor in a region to be a premier board game distributor who is filling the needs of our retailers across the board.
“One distributor won’t ever have everything, but Universal is doing a great job of being as much of a one-stop-shop for our retailers as they can be.”
Stonemaier CEO Jamey Stegmaier told BoardGameWire the company spent the first few years working with Aldo Ghiozzi as its distribution broker, before switching to Greater Than Games for a similar role – both of which sold to a variety of distributors.
He said Schmidt became the company’s distribution broker when he joined the company from Greater than Games in 2020, with Stonemaier signing up with GTS in the US and Universal in Canada “soon afterwards”.
Earlier this week it emerged that Stonemaier Games’ diversification of its flagship bestseller Wingspan into a trilogy of standalone titles had powered the company to record revenues of more than $25m last year.
That total eclipsed the company’s previous annual high from the post-Covid board game boom in 2021, and follows the publisher adding Connie Vogelmann’s Wyrmspan in 2024 and the David Gordon and Michael O’Connell design Finspan last year – creating a hefty boost for its overall sales.
The post Universal to become exclusive Stonemaier US hobby retail distributor, for roughly $1.5m of annual business first appeared on .
Editor’s note: GAMA is one of the sponsors of the BoardGameWire newsletter
The Origins Awards, one of board gaming’s longest-running prizes voted on by industry professionals, has unveiled its latest slate of 120 nominees – and come under fire for failing to mention any of the games’ designers for the third year in a row.
The awards, which are organised by non-profit trade organisation GAMA, say they aim to reward “excellence in game design” across a string of categories including light, gateway and heavy games, solo and co-op titles and party games.
The Tabletop Game Designers Association, a professional organisation launched in 2024 to advocate for creators in North America, said it requested that year that GAMA begin including designer names in its Origins Award announcements – and reiterated the plea when designer names were left out again in 2025.
TTGDA posted to its BlueSky account last night after the 2026 nominees were unveiled: “Shame on GAMA for once again not including designers in their ‘Excellence in Game Design’ award announcement.
“Last year they promised that this would be corrected in 2026, but again designers are not given the recognition they deserve. The omission is no longer an oversight. It is a GAMA policy.”
GAMA’s communications director Eric Francis, who joined the organisation in May last year, has since responded to GAMA members on Facebook, calling the omission “unfortunate” and “unacceptable”.
Francis, who added that he is a member of TTGDA, said, “As press releases fall under my purview I accept the responsibility for it and I apologize. But it was not intentional nor is it policy.
“I believe in accountability and I believe in fixing problems. One of my tasks after GAMA Expo ends this week is revamping the processes for GAMA’s releases so this kind of thing stops happening, and I invite you to hold me to that.”
He added, “I’ve been with GAMA for less than a year and this is my first Expo. Each of the last two nights I’ve spent hours in a massive ballroom in Louisville, Kentucky, watching people play games, many of them new or unpublished, all of them created by passionate and talented people – a number of whom are GAMA members themselves.
“This organization supports creators, full stop. But as with any human endeavor it is fallible, as tonight’s release demonstrates. My job is to head off those shortcomings or, failing that, fix them so they don’t happen again. It’s your job to keep me apprised of how I’m doing. I look forward to that dynamic.”
The Origins awards, which were first presented in 1975, have been in heavy flux over the past few years, going from 10 categories in 2019 to 24 in 2024 – with the make-up of those categories significantly shaken up from year to year.
GAMA briefly introduced categories in 2024 which represented its membership having expanded beyond just retailers, publishers and wholesalers, including recognition for artists, writers and media.
But those segments were removed again in 2025, with categories cut including Best Media Production, Best Game Related Writing and Best 2D Artwork – although the miniatures segment was expanded from two categories to three, covering games, the miniatures themselves, and paint and accessories.
A total of 50 board games have again been nominated this year across five categories, with the full list of nominees presented at the end of this article.
Trading card games and collectible card games will compete in constructible and randomised categories – the latter of which awards booster boxes and displays – while RPGs are again represented across two categories, games and supplements.
Matt Leacock has picked up two nominations this year for his work on Lord of the Rings: Fate of the Fellowship and Animal Rescue Team, the latter co-designed by Lisa Towell.
Tyler J Brown has also picked up two nominations for Hercules and the 12 Labors and 23 Knives, as has David Gordon for his work on Crafting the Cosmos, alongside frequent collaborator TAM, and Finspan, which was co-designed by Michael O’Connell.
Play to Z, the publishing house launched in 2023 by Z-Man Games founder Zev Shlasinger and a string of tabletop industry veterans, is up for three awards this year across 23 Knives, Animal Rescue Team and Dan Manfredini design Xenology.
Capstone Games and The Op also each have a trio of games nominated this year – with Capstone’s titles Rowdy Partners (designed by Jason Hager and Darren Reckner), Sanctuary (Mathias Wigge) and Tea Garden (Tomáš Holek) all contesting the Light Strategy Game category.
The Op three nominations are Jason Tremblay’s Tacta, Matt Fantastic’s How Many What?!, and Manny Vega’s Tea Witches, across the Gateway Game, Party Game and Heavy Strategy Game categories respectively.
This year’s winners are set to be announced at the Origins Game Fair in Columbus, Ohio, which is due to take place between June 17 and 21.
Cooperative/Solo Game
• Animal Rescue Team, designed by Matt Leacock and Lisa Towell – published by Play to Z
• Castle Raisers, Erwan Le Minous, Anthony Perone – Wonderful World of Board Games
• Corps of Discovery, Jay Cormier and Sen-Foong Lim – Off the Page Games
• Hercules and the 12 Labors, Tyler J. Brown – Envy Born Games
• Here Lies, Jasper Beatrix, Jakob Maier, Bobby West – DVC Games
• Horrified: Dungeons & Dragons, Peter Lee – Ravensburger
• Kinfire Council, Kevin Wilson – Incredible Dream
• Lord of the Rings: Fate of the Fellowship, Matt Leacock – Z-Man Games
• Unstoppable, John D. Clair – Renegade Game Studios
• Vantage, Jamey Stegmaier – Stonemaier Games
Gateway Game
• A Place for All My Books, Alex Cutler, Michael Mihealsick – Smirk & Dagger Games
• Above and Below: Haunted, Ryan Laukat – Red Raven Games
• Everdell Duo, James A. Wilson, Clarissa A. Wilson – Tycoon Games
• Flamecraft Duals, Manny Vega – Cardboard Alchemy
• Pergola, Michał Gołąb Gołębiowski, Przemek Wojtkowiak – Rebel Studio
• Point Galaxy, Molly Johnson, Robert Melvin, Shawn Stankewich – Flatout Games, AEG
• Railroad Tiles, Hjalmar Hach, Lorenzo Silva – Horrible Guild
• Tacta, Jason Tremblay – The Op
• Toy Battle, Paolo Mori, Alessandro Zucchini – Asmodee
• Wine Cellar, Andrew Stiles – 25th Century Games
Party Game
• 23 Knives, Tyler J. Brown – Play to Z
• Alibis, Albert Monteys – Allplay
• Brick Like This!, Luca Bellini – Asmodee
• Dice Words, Tim Phillips – Kosmos
• Hot Streak, Jon Perry – CMYK
• How Many What?!, Matt Fantastic – The Op
• Mystery Fluxx, Andrew Looney – Looney Labs
• Outfox the Fox, Jeff Grisenthwaite – Smirk & Dagger Games
• Person Do Thing, Uri Bram – Runaway Parade
• Red Letter Yellow Letter, Nathan Thornton – 25th Century Games
Heavy Strategy Game
• Crafting the Cosmos, David Gordon, TAM – Office Dog Games
• Cyclades: Legendary Edition, Bruno Cathala, Ludovic Maublanc – Studio H
• Galactic Cruise, T.K. King, Dennis Northcott, Koltin Thompson – Allplay
• Luthier, Dave Beck, Abe Burson – Paverson Games
• Molly House, Jo Kelly, Cole Wehrle – Wehrlegig Games
• Speakeasy, Vital Lacerda – Eagle-Gryphon Games
• Star Trek: Captain’s Chair, Nigel Buckle, Dávid Turczi – WizKids
• Tea Witches, Manny Vega – The Op
• The Anarchy, Bobby Hill – Renegade Game Studios
• Xenology, Dan Manfredini – Play to Z
Light Strategy Game
• 3 Witches, Corey Young – Allplay
• Diatoms, Sabrina Culyba – Ludoliminal
• Finspan, David Gordon, Michael O’Connell – Stonemaier Games
• Rowdy Partners, Jason Hager, Darren Reckner – Capstone Games
• Sanctuary, Mathias Wigge – Capstone Games
• Star Wars: Battle of Hoth, Richard Borg, Adrien Martinot – Days of Wonder
• Tag Team, Gricha German, Corentin Lebrat – Scorpion Masqué
• Tea Garden, Tomáš Holek – Capstone Games
• Timelancers, Juliana Chang, Kenny Heidt, Teresa Ho, Lee Ho – Party Tails
• Winter Rabbit, William Thompson – Absurdist Productions
Constructible Fixed Product
• CookieRun Braverse TCG: Starter Deck Assortment – Devsisters
• Magic: The Gathering Avatar the Last Airbender Commander’s Bundle – Wizards of the Coast
• Gwent: The Legendary Card Game, CD Projekt, Rafał Jaki, Damien Monnier – No Loading Games
• Rush of Ikorr Starter Deck, Bobby Coovert, Ryan Martin – Upper Deck
• Sorcery: Contested Realm Gothic Preconstructed Decks, Rafael Novellino, Erik Olofsson, Nickolas Reynolds – Erik’s Curiosa
• Riftbound Proving Grounds – Riot Games
• Magic: The Gathering Edge of Eternities Commander Decks – Wizards of the Coast
• Gundam Card Game Starter – Heroic Beginnings – Bandai Namco
• Gudnak Core Set, Timothy S. O’Brien, Ian Oliver – Chaotic Great
• Compile: Main 2, Michael Yang – Synapses Games
Constructible Randomized Product
• Gundam Newtype Rising Booster Pack Display – Bandai Namco
• Rush of Ikorr, Bobby Coovert, Ryan Martin – Upper Deck
• Shard Bugs – Shard Bugs, LLC
• Sorcery: Contested Realm Gothic Booster Box, Rafael Novellino, Erik Olofsson, Nickolas Reynolds – Erik’s Curiosa
• Magic: The Gathering Final Fantasy Play Booster Box – Wizards of the Coast
• Riftbound Origins Booster Display – Riot Games
• Magic: The Gathering Edge of Eternities Collector Booster Box – Wizards of the Coast
• Universus CCG: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Booster Display – UVS Games
• Gudnak Expansion Bundle, Timothy S. O’Brien, Ian Oliver – Chaotic Great
• Pokemon TCG Scarlet and Violet Destined Rivals Booster Box – The Pokemon Company
Miniature Game
• Blood Bowl: Third Season Edition – Games Workshop
• Cretaceous Rails, Ann Journey – Spielcraft Games
• Cyberpunk Edgerunners: Combat Zone, Justin Gibbs, John Kovaleski, Mack Martin, Erik Yaple – Monster Fight Club
• Grimcoven, Krzysztof Belczyk – Awaken Realms
• Konflikt 47 – Warlord Games
• Malediction, Leo Cunha, Nicole Lobo, Daniel Pettersen de Lucena – Loot Studios
• Malifaux Fourth Edition Two-Player Starter – Wyrd Games
• Warcrow – The Song of the Dormant, Alberto Abal, Jesús Fuster, Laura Castro Royo, Marcos Bello Soto – Corvus Belli
• Warhammer Quest: Darkwater – Games Workshop
• Warzone Eternal, Alex Kanous, Bryan Steele – Res Nova LLC, now published by Trans Atlantis Games
Paint/Hobby Accessory
• Advent-ure Calendar 20: The Lost Labyrinth – Black Oak Workshop
• AK Interactive 3Gen Quickmarkers – AK Interactive
• Goblin Hobbies Stampin’ Plates – Goblin Hobbies
• Heroscape: Age of Annihilation Paint Set – Renegade Game Studios
• Chronicle Liquid Brush Elixir – Chronicle
• Modi Boxi Pro Pack Two – Mod Innovations c/o My Mini Factory
• Chronicle Modular Wet Palette – Chronicle
• Mystery Loot: Ultramarines vs Tyranids – Foam Brain Games
• SOURCE: Starter – Adventure Together Games
• Army Painter Speedpaint Marker: Starter Set – The Army Painter
Miniature
• Infinity – Achilles – Corvus Belli
• Cosmere RPG Stormlight Miniature Set – Brotherwise Games
• 40K Emperor’s Children: Fulgrim – Games Workshop
• AoS Festus the Leechlord – Age of Sigmar Nurgle – Games Workshop
• General Grievous’ TSMEU-6 Wheel Bike – Atomic Mass Games
• I Am No Jedi Duel Pack – Atomic Mass Games
• Noxious Fleshgarden Large – Malediction Terrain – Loot Studios
• Sword & Sorcery Mist Hero Pack – Ares Games
• The Field Guide to Floral Dragons: Dragon Florist’s Miniatures Set – Hit Point Press
• Phoenix & Phoenix Unleashed – Atomic Mass Games
Roleplaying Game
• Age of Vikings – Chaosium
• CHEW: The Roleplaying Game – Imagining Games
• Coriolis: The Great Dark – Free League
• Cthulhu Bay – MS Edizioni and Ares Games
• Daggerheart Core Set – Darrington Press
• Land of Eem Deluxe Box Set – Exalted Funeral
• Cosmere RPG Stormlight Starter Set – Brotherwise Games
• Starfinder Second Edition – Paizo
• The Bonsai Diary – Gene Koo
• Warhammer: The Old World Roleplaying Game Player’s Guide – Cubicle 7
Roleplaying Supplement
• Advent-ure Calendar 19: Kitty Clacks Christmas – Black Oak Workshop
• ALIEN RPG: Rapture Protocol – Free League
• Call of Cthulhu: The Sutra of Pale Leaves – Twin Suns Rising – Chaosium
• Cthulhu by Gaslight: Keeper’s Guide – Chaosium
• Full Art Dice Set: Porcelain – Q Workshop
• Green Oaks – MS Edizioni and Ares Games
• Pendragon: Gamemaster’s Handbook – Chaosium
• The Field Guide to Floral Dragons: Explorer’s Box Set – Hit Point Press
• The Vault of Mini Things – Tinkerhouse Games
• Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay: High Elf Player’s Guide – Cubicle 7
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Bis Ende Februar konntet ihr bei den Abenteuer Brettspiele Community Awards ’25 für eure Favoriten abstimmen und nun stehen die 4 Preisträger fest. Wie die Abstimmung gelaufen ist und welche Spiele in den 4 Community Awards Kategorien gewonnen haben, erfahrt ihr im Folgenden. Die 4 Gewinner der Abenteuer Brettspiele Community Awards ’25 Bereits zum vierten […]
Der Beitrag Gewinner der Abenteuer Brettspiele Community Awards ’25 erschien zuerst auf Abenteuer Brettspiele.
Stonemaier Games’ diversification of its flagship bestseller Wingspan into a trilogy of standalone titles powered the company to record revenues of more than $25m last year – eclipsing its previous annual high from the post-Covid board game boom in 2021.
More than 610,000 copies of Elizabeth Hargrave design Wingspan, its Asia expansion, dragon-themed title Wyrmspan and last year’s fish-focused release Finspan were printed by Stonemaier in 2025 according to its latest annual stakeholder report, bringing the total lifetime copies across the trilogy to more than 3.3 million.
While the bulk of that lifetime figure is from 2019 release Wingspan and ‘standalone expansion’ Wingspan Asia, at about 2.6 million copies, the addition of Connie Vogelmann’s Wyrmspan in 2024 and the David Gordon and Michael O’Connell design Finspan last year have created a hefty boost for Stonemaier’s overall sales.
The latter pair now have more than 685,000 copies in circulation – a figure which already outstrips the roughly 600,000 copies of Scythe, Stonemaier’s biggest seller outside of the ‘span’ trilogy, despite that game being in print for a decade.
Speaking to BoardGameWire about the latest annual results, company co-founder Jamey Stegmaier reiterated his regular refrain that “number go up” was “simply not on our list of goals at all”, adding, “I understand that the annual revenue is an interesting number to poke at, but honestly that number could go up or down by many millions of dollars and I wouldn’t care as long as we’re bring joy to people.”
Stegmaier had a similar line on the company’s sales performance when he spoke to BoardGameWire two years ago, after the company’s revenue fell for the second year running to $16.7m, marking its lowest annual total since 2019.
He said at the time that he had no concerns about the fall in revenue, saying, “Based on our reach and evergreen sales, I think a ‘normal’ annual revenue for us is somewhere between $15m to $20m, with the exact amount depending on when certain products ship.
“In that way, I think 2021 was an outlier (probably pandemic related) – not only was it a very strong year for Wingspan, but we also saw excellent evergreen sales for Viticulture and Scythe, and we had one of our biggest releases that year in Red Rising.”
But strong sales this year of the ‘span’ trio among a busy slate of other Stonemaier releases has pushed company revenue beyond those 2021 heights, with Stegmaier telling BoardGameWire yesterday, “After hearing from customers for a long time that they wanted the Wingspan model applied to other creatures, I’m really glad we’ve been able to serve them via Wyrmspan and Finspan.
“It also takes pressure off of Wingspan designer Elizabeth Hargrave. Also… it gives us some wiggle room to take on riskier projects, though any game is a risk – we never really know how a game will do.”
One game which could arguably be put in that category is Stonemaier’s 2025 release Vantage – a non-campaign, open-world-style exploration game designed by Stegmaier which was in development for seven years.
Stonemaier printed 64,000 copies of Vantage last year, with Stegmaier telling BoardGameWire: “There’s no other tabletop game that does what Vantage does, so I see it hitting tabletops for years to come.”
He said, “We’re currently initiating Vantage’s fourth reprint, which is remarkable for an expensive game just eight months into its lifecycle.
“I’m so glad this labor of love from the last eight years of my life is resonating with people who want to go on an open-world, first-person adventure without the need to commit to a campaign game.
“Also, unlike all other new releases, Vantage had so much text that it didn’t have any localization partners in 2025 – they needed a lot more time, so 10,000 units of non-English versions are coming in 2026.”
He also highlighted the success of superhero-themed, tableau-building trick-taker Origin Story, which printed 33,500 copies, and added that more quick-playing, smaller-box titles are on the way from the publisher – including a more lightweight Wingspan title which the company says is playable in about 30 minutes.
Stegmaier said, “I love Origin Story, and I’m excited that we’ve packed so much game into a smaller box that you can teach and play in 45 minutes.
“I would say that’s the realm of the smaller Wingspan game we’re releasing in mid-2026, and I’m wrapping up something kind of in the same realm (in terms of size and length) for 2027.”
Going smaller still, Stonemaier’s 18-card co-operative micro-game Smitten and its sequel also performed well last year, Stegmaier said, with the number of copies printed up 23,000 compared to 2024.
He said, “These are both very small, very humble games that serve well as add-ons, stocking stuffers, and suitcase inclusions for travel. I’m honestly kind of surprised they’ve sold so well, given how different they are from our core offerings.
“That said, they offer more of a trickle of sales through any sales partner – a dozen here each month to distributors, a dozen there to retailers, a few dozen on our webstores.”
Stegmaier added, “The one product for which we probably over-forecasted was Wyrmspan: Dragon Academy. It has sold very well (over 60,000 units for an expansion is remarkable), but I think we probably could have made 75,000 units and later reprinted 25,000 instead of printing 100,000 up front.
“Stamp Swap has done fine [BGW note: 34,000 copies printed in its 2024 release year, but none in 2025], but I think it’s indicative that it’s more difficult than ever for a good game to break through.”
Other 2025 releases from the company included Tokaido and Tokaido: Duo, which it bought from financially-troubled French board game publisher Funforge towards the end of 2024.
Stegmaier has been at the vocal forefront of the board game industry’s fight against volatile US tariff policy since President Trump’s inauguration last January, which has seen several board game businesses shutter their operations, lay off staff and hike the prices of their games to cover the unexpected costs.
Stonemaier was among a string of companies that took part in lawsuits challenging Trump’s power to raise tariffs at will – and Stegmaier expressed his “relief” when those tariffs were judged as unconstitutional by the US Supreme Court late last month.
He said in a blog post at the time, “Every day for the last ten months, I’ve lived in fear that the executive branch of my own country would raise our import taxes to an extreme level that would significantly damage Stonemaier Games and the thousands of small businesses seeking to serve their US customers, retailers, and employees.
“So when the Supreme Court ruled on Friday that the tariff taxes and the way they were implemented were unconstitutional, I had a huge sense of relief. Relief that small businesses can no longer be used as pawns in a global game. Relief that the whim of one person can no longer effectively change the landed cost of our product from $10 to $25.
“Yes, there are still legal ways for the executive branch to impose tariff taxes. They seem really passionate about making small businesses in the US pay more taxes. But these methods have limits: For example, the new tariff tax is 15% (that’s the max it can be), and it needs congressional approval to extend beyond 150 days.
“In the immediate future, I don’t think we’ll see much of an impact on prices, as anything in stock in the US already had its tariff tax paid when it entered the country (if it was manufactured elsewhere). My perception is that many businesses avoided raising prices and instead just ate the extra costs (that’s what we did; we did not increase any prices).
“There is also the possibility of tariff tax refunds. To date, Stonemaier Games has paid just under $300,000 in tariff taxes to the US government. I’m not counting on getting any of that back – it will be nice if we do, and I hope that other businesses do, but the level of uncertainty isn’t something for which we can plan.
“My hope, as always, is that what happens next will help me best serve my coworkers, our independent contractors and partners, and our customers in the US and around the world (consumers, retailers, and distributors). I wish the same for all other small businesses.”
Stegmaier told BoardGameWire that he was “really excited” about the company’s 2026 line-up, which kicked off with the Wingspan Americas and Viticulture: Bordeaux expansions, and also includes a two-player Scythe vs Expeditions duelling game which expands both those titles as well as working as a standalone design.
He said, “I’m excited for the opportunity to serve fans through expansions for Wingspan, Viticulture, Finspan, Scythe, and Expeditions, along with the new Euphoria board.
“The main challenge is communicating what makes these products unique and special. For the first time in a while (since Apiary, as I recall), we’ll have a new game in our original sweet spot of mid-weight euro games – that’s the Smoking Bones game in Q4.”
Stonemaier Lifetime and 2025 Sales
Games which did not receive new printings in 2025:
The post Soaring ‘span’ trilogy sales see Stonemaier Games’ annual revenue reach record $25.1m first appeared on .
Asmodee hat im letzten Quartal 2025 einen neuen Umsatzrekord aufgestellt. Der Brettspielkonzern erzielte zwischen Oktober und Dezember Nettoerlöse von 524 Millionen Euro, ein Plus von 22,2 Prozent im Vergleich zum Vorjahreszeitraum. Getrieben wurde das Wachstum vor allem durch den Vertrieb von Trading Card Games in Europa.
Der Umsatz mit Produkten, die Asmodee für andere Unternehmen vertreibt, stieg im Quartal um mehr als 50 Prozent. Gleichzeitig gingen die Erlöse mit eigenen Titeln um fast 13 Prozent zurück. Besonders deutlich fiel der Rückgang in den USA aus, wo die Nettoerlöse um 23 Prozent auf 70,4 Millionen Euro sanken.
Damit rutschten die USA hinter Frankreich und Großbritannien. Frankreich legte um 47 Prozent auf über 111 Millionen Euro zu, Großbritannien wuchs um 41 Prozent auf 82,7 Millionen Euro. In den beiden Vorjahren hatten die USA das Quartalsranking noch angeführt.
CEO Thomas Koegler nannte erfolgreiche TCG-Veröffentlichungen bei Pokémon, Magic: The Gathering und One Piece als Haupttreiber für das Rekordergebnis. Den US-Rückgang führte er auf geringere Einkaufsmengen großer Einzelhändler zurück, während die Nachfrage bei Endkunden stabil geblieben sei. Ungünstige Wechselkurse und eine Normalisierung der Verkäufe von Star Wars Unlimited nach dem starken Startjahr 2024 hätten ebenfalls belastet.
Im Weihnachtsquartal seien vor allem Produkte im niedrigeren Preissegment gefragt gewesen. Asmodee habe mit Exploding Kittens starkes Wachstum erzielt, bei teureren Produkten dagegen Gegenwind gespürt. Koegler ordnete die Schwäche gelassen ein: Das Portfolio sei breit aufgestellt, und die Probleme beschränkten sich auf den US-Markt.
Für die kommenden Monate stellte Koegler mehrere Neuheiten in Aussicht. Darunter ein LEGO-Spiel zur Ninjago-Reihe, Azul Kids, Dino Picnic, neue Sets für Star Wars Unlimited und eine überarbeitete Version von Ticket to Ride Europe. Außerdem verwies er auf Kooperationen mit Netflix rund um Catan und Ticket to Ride, die Markenbekanntheit und Sichtbarkeit steigern sollen.
Parallel treibt Asmodee seine Übernahmestrategie weiter voran. Im Quartalsabschluss wurde der Kauf der IP Sheriff of Nottingham von CMON bekannt gegeben. Es ist bereits die dritte IP-Übernahme von CMON innerhalb von acht Monaten. Den Anfang hatte im Juni 2024 die Flaggschiff-Marke Zombicide gemacht, die seit 2012 über Kickstarter mehr als 40 Millionen US-Dollar eingesammelt hatte.
Auf die Frage, ob auch größere Übernahmen geplant seien, antwortete Koegler zurückhaltend. Die Aktivität in der Pipeline entspreche dem Plan. Kleinere Zukäufe und IP-Deals ließen sich schlicht schneller umsetzen.
Der Incursion Day bringt mehr als neue Seeker. Mit zwei 2-Spieler-Starterboxen und einer neu strukturierten Produktlinie will Maeadiction den Einstieg vereinfachen und gleichzeitig mehr Wahlfreiheit schaffen. Ob STL, Aufsteller oder Miniatur: Künftig haben die Spieler*innen eine Wahl, wie sie die Welt von Agnar betreten wollen.
Dieser Beitrag wurde von Geoffrey Förste geschrieben
In den BRETTSPIELBOX News 08/2026 findet ihr die folgenden Nachrichten: Hier sind die Brettspiel News. Guten Start in die Woche. Folgende Neuheiten sind auf dem Weg bzw. angekündigt: Inzwischen gibt es zum dritten eigenständigen Spiel Mischwald: Smokey Mountains auch ein finales Cover. Neu ins Spiel kommen: Stars of Ilumeia ist die Ornament Games Neuheit zum […]
Angekündigt: Neu: Updates: ANGEKÜNDIGT Es geht derzeit wieder rund im Crowdfunding. Einige Projekte sind angekündigt. Hier der Überblick über die kommende Woche: Heroes of the Shire Light & Shadow Am 03. März startet Heroes of the Shire: Light & Shadow auf Gamefound. Heroes of the Shire ist ein rundenbasiertes Kampfspiel, in dem ihr Zauber wirkt, Fähigkeiten […]
Die SPIEL DOCH! 2026 öffnet vom 24. bis 26. April ihre Tore in der Messe Dortmund. Mit einer gewachsenen Ausstellungsfläche und über 70 Ausstellern verspricht die Brettspielmesse erneut ein Pflichttermin für Fans zu werden. Hier findest du alle wichtigen Informationen zu Tickets, Preisen und Ausstellern.
Die Messe findet in Halle 4 der Messe Dortmund statt, Eingang Nord am Rheinlanddamm 200. Die Öffnungszeiten sind Freitag und Samstag jeweils von 10 bis 19 Uhr, Sonntag von 10 bis 18 Uhr.
Die Ausstellungsfläche wächst auf 8.300 Quadratmeter und liegt damit knapp über dem Niveau von 2025. Damit wird die komplette Halle mit Ständen und Spielfläche genutzt. Für 2027 denken die Veranstalter bereits über eine weitere Ausweitung nach.
Die Anreise ist mit dem ÖPNV empfehlenswert. Die U-Bahn-Stationen Westfalenhallen (Linien U45/U46) und Theodor-Fliedner-Heim (Linie U42) liegen in direkter Nähe. Wer mit dem Auto kommt, kann die gebührenpflichtigen Parkplätze P3 und P4 nutzen.
Der Vorverkauf läuft bereits und endet am 19. April 2026 um 20 Uhr. Eine Tageskarte kostet im Vorverkauf 12 Euro, vor Ort 15 Euro. Die Dauerkarte gibt es im Vorverkauf für 30 Euro, vor Ort für 36 Euro. Familien erhalten vor Ort eine Tageskarte für zwei Erwachsene und zwei Jugendliche (11 bis 17 Jahre) für 34 Euro. Kinder bis 10 Jahren haben in Begleitung ihrer Familie freien Eintritt. Alle Details und Tickets findest du auf der offiziellen Messeseite.
An der Tradition des freien Eintritts für Schulklassen am Freitag wird festgehalten. Eine vorherige Anmeldung ist erforderlich, die Tickets sind limitiert.
Mehr als 70 Verlage und Marken werden vor Ort sein. Zu den vertretenen Verlagen zählen unter anderem Kosmos, Ravensburger, Schmidt Spiele, Pegasus Spiele, Asmodee, Feuerland, Hans im Glück, HABA und Deep Print Games. Daneben sind zahlreiche kleinere Verlage wie Skellig Games, Strohmann Games, King Raccoon Games und Ornament Games vertreten. Ergänzt wird das Angebot durch Händler, Künstler und Organisationen wie die Europäische Spielesammler Gilde oder die Deutsche CATAN Meisterschaft.
Auf der Messe kannst du Neuheiten der SPIEL 2025 sowie der Nürnberger Spielwarenmesse 2026 sehen und ausprobieren. Vereinzelt werden auch schon Sommerneuheiten gezeigt. Weitere Details zum Rahmenprogramm und zu den Events an den einzelnen Messetagen sollen in den kommenden Wochen folgen.
France’s highest-profile board game prize, the As d’Or, has unveiled Paolo Mori and Alessandro Zucchini’s Toy Battle as the winner of its main award for 2026.
The family weight, toy-themed wargame fought off competition from Flip 7 and Rebirth to scoop this year’s prize, while Stefan Feld design Civolution won out against Arcs and Ants to win the expert game award.
Zenith, from Grégory Grard and Mathieu Roussel, picked up the intermediate award ahead of First Rat and Take Time, while the children’s category was won by Florian Sirieix design Mooki Island in a contest with Archeo and The Twisted Spooky Night.
This year’s As d’Or saw a significant change to its rules, with organisers requiring entries to name artists on the game boxes for first time.
Paul Mafayon was the artist for Toy Battle, while Civolution was illustrated by Dennis Lohausen, Zenith by Xavier Gueniffey Durin and Mooki Island by Mélanie Bardin, also known as Seppyo.
The award, which traces its history back to 1988, has required entries to show designer names on their game boxes for several years, in addition to requirements for the game to be published in French and available in the French market during the preceding year.
A statement from Philippe Mouret and Julia Marcelin, both heads of studio at Toy Battle publisher Asmodee, said “Tonight’s recognition first belongs to the authors and illustrator whose talent and vision brought Toy Battle to life.
“We also want to thank all the teams involved for their dedication, as well as the Festival’s jury for this distinction. This award is a wonderful acknowledgment of the creativity and vitality of today’s tabletop industry.”
French board game website Ludovox noted in January that a long-held belief around the As d’Or was that two-player games could not be nominated – a premise which crumbled this year with the nomination of three such games.
It added, “It also reflects the current trend: playing games as a couple, and smaller-format games are appealing to the public, and publishers are offering more and more of them.”
Viking-themed card shedding game Odin won last year’s As d’Or, while city-building eurogame Kutná Hora triumphed in the Expert Game category at the 2025 awards, Operation Noisettes won the children’s game prize, and Behind scooped the “Initié” award – which targets regular board game players ready for more challenging mechanisms.
The As d’Or was launched 38 years ago to highlight the best games available at France’s Festival International des Jeux in Cannes. The award was merged with the Jeu de l’Année in 2005.
More than 100,000 people attended this year’s FIJ between February 25 and March 1, down on the record 110,000 admissions across the five-day event last year.
The 2026 As d’Or Awards
Winner: Toy Battle, designed by Alessandro Zucchini and Paolo Mori, published by Repos (Asmodee)
Flip 7, Eric Olsen – Catch Up Games
Rebirth, Reiner Knizia – Lucky Duck Games and Mighty Boards
Winner: Mooki Island, Florian Sirieix – Le Scorpion Masqué
Archeo, Thomas Favrelière, Adrien Pédron – Gigamic
The Twisted Spooky Night, Wolfgang Dirscherl, Wolfgang Lehmann – Drei Magier Spiele
Winner: Zenith, Grégory Grard, Mathieu Roussel – PlayPunk
First Rat, Gabriele Ausiello, Virginio Gigli – Pegasus Spiele
Take Time Alexi Piovesan, Julien Prothière – Libellud
The supreme discipline for all strategists and frequent players.
Winner: Civolution, Stefan Feld – Grail Games, Deep Print Games
Arcs, Cole Wehrle – Leder Games
Ants, Renato Ciervo, Andrea Robbiani – Cranio Creations and Intrafin
The post Toy Battle triumphs in 2026 As d’Or, Civolution collects expert game prize first appeared on .
Hier sind die Brettspiel News. Ich habe ein paar Infos in den verschiedenen Clustern zusammengetragen. Heute wieder einiges dabei für jeden. VIDEO Inhalt ■ in eigener Sache■ News (As D’or 2026, Asmodee, Albi / Capstone, Digital neu)■ Crowdfunding (Akropolis Pantheon, Marrakesh Big Box, PDX, Fractured Sky, Perch, Roma XLI, Inferno 1348, Carnivore, Cloud War Tales […]
Gestern fand der Asmodee Pressetag 2026 statt. Mehr als drei Stunden wurden im YouTube-Stream mit vielen Neuheiten, Einblicken und Ausblicke geteilt. Ich habe den Livestream verfolgt und stelle euch im Folgenden alle spannenden News der Veranstaltung vor. Zudem erfahrt ihr, was meine Highlights waren und von was ich enttäuscht war. Asmodee Pressetag 2026 News zu […]
Der Beitrag Asmodee Pressetag Frühjahr 2026: Star Wars, Arkham Horror, RPGs, Lords of Waterdeep … erschien zuerst auf Abenteuer Brettspiele.
Board game, TCG and comics distribution major Universal Distribution has agreed an exclusive deal with Dice Throne to become the sole distributor of the company’s products in the US and Canada.
Dice Throne games and add-on packs have previously been distributed by companies including Universal and ACD Distribution, as well as Alliance Game Distributors, which Universal acquired in May last year.
The dice and card-focused combat game has become a crowdfunding heavyweight following its original $180,000 Kickstarter project from Mind Bottling Games in 2018, going on to raise almost $13m across a string of subsequent campaigns.
Those crowdfunds have included lucrative Marvel tie-ins, with the company raising $2.1m for its first Marvel Dice Throne campaign in 2021 and almost $4.3m for an X-Men, Deadpool and co-op experience Kickstarter in 2023.
Universal said the exclusive distribution deal “marks a significant step in supporting Dice Throne’s expanding presence in retail stores, especially as the brand continues to grow its Organized Play program and introduce new product formats designed to increase accessibility and drive community engagement”.
Dice Throne’s Organized Play program is designed to help stores build consistent communities and host recurring events, with kits on offer including promo items, prize support and products needed to run casual or competitive play.
The publisher has also recently introduced a new single hero pack format, with the aim of offering a lower entry point for new players and flexibility for collectors and Organized Play participants.
Dice Throne CEO Casey Sershon, who took on the top role at the company at the start of last year, said, “We are excited to partner with Universal Distribution as our exclusive distributor in the US and Canada.
“Their expertise and strong retail network will help bring Dice Throne to even more players across North America.”
The post Universal Distribution signs exclusive distribution deal with long-time crowdfunding success Dice Throne first appeared on .
Im Vertrieb von Asmodee erscheinen auch 2026 wieder sehr viele Neuheiten. Ich stelle heute 8 spannende Brettspiel-Neuheiten von Asmodee im Jahr 2026 vor. Dabei erfahrt ihr, was für Spiele uns erwarten, was das Besondere daran ist und warum ich mich darauf freue. 8 spannende Brettspiel-Neuheiten von Asmodee 2026 Asmodee ist ein Riese und vertreibt mittlerweile […]
Der Beitrag 8 spannende Brettspiel-Neuheiten von Asmodee 2026 erschien zuerst auf Abenteuer Brettspiele.
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